Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then a steady male voice said, "Tell me the details."

"Power outage, surveillance cameras destroyed, staff unconscious but without external injuries, yet Zhao Hongtu and his group seem to have vanished into thin air," Zhang Cheng quickly reported. "There are burn marks at the scene, but no weapon residue was found. This kind of tactic... I've never seen anything like it."

Zhang Cheng knew about the close relationship between Han Dongcheng and Zhao Hongtu; this was not a secret within certain circles.

When Liu Zhen's wife and children died, Han Dongcheng had used his connections in the province to "pay attention" to the case's progress, and Zhang Cheng was well aware of this.

This line has always been an invisible protective umbrella for his career.

"I understand." Han Dongcheng's voice was devoid of emotion. "How long has the area been cordoned off?"

"Half an hour. The news hasn't spread yet, but it can't be suppressed for long."

"Keep your mouth shut. Don't include any speculation about the 'abnormality' in the report," Han Dongcheng instructed. "I'll handle the rest."

Zhang Cheng hung up the phone and frowned as he looked at the dim lights in the garage.

A vague unease settled in my heart.

This unease stemmed from years of experience—like something unseen was watching him from behind.

What he didn't notice was that about fifteen meters behind him, at the base of the wall, a slender blade of grass peeked out from a crack in the paving stones, swaying gently in the still air.

The leaves turned slightly, as if listening or recording.

……

Jingyuan Villa, in the southern suburbs of Zhaoming City.

The night was deep, and although the villa was brightly lit, it was unusually quiet.

Han Dongcheng put down the phone and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, the teacup in his hand already cold.

Zhao Hongtu has disappeared—there is no body, no surveillance footage, no witnesses, and the security personnel are in a deep coma.

This method reminded him of some rumors that had been circulating in the province recently.

Regarding the explosion in Dawn City, and the deep pit at the nursing home that was classified as a "methane leak".

Han Dongcheng is no ordinary person.

As an outsider member of the Five Mountains Alliance, he knew that there were some things in this world that could not be explained by common sense.

Those things are usually treated as "accidents" or "unsolved cases," leaving only shrouded rumors within specific circles.

This Zhao Hongtu incident is very similar.

Even more like it.

Han Dongcheng took a deep breath, picked up another phone, and dialed a number.

Opposite him was Song Mingzhang, Wang Hongyuan's trusted advisor and his direct contact in the Five Mountains Society.

The call was answered quickly, and there was no small talk, only the sound of even breathing on the other end.

"Mr. Song, it's me. Han Dongcheng. Zhao Hongtu is in trouble."

After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, Song Mingzhang's voice came through: "Explain yourself."

Han Dongcheng recounted Zhang Mingyuan's description, adding his own judgment: "This isn't an ordinary crime. To go to this extent, there are only two possibilities: one, a professional task force, but there's no reason for them to target Zhao Hongtu. He hasn't offended anyone of that caliber recently. Two, something unusual. I lean towards the latter."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Song Mingzhang's voice came through: "Are you sure?"

"It's uncertain, but we need to prepare in this direction," Han Dongcheng added. "We need to re-examine everyone Zhao Hongtu contacted before his disappearance, and everyone he recently offended. Among them... it's possible that some of them have 'awakened'."

"Awakening..." Song Mingzhang repeated the word, a hint of fanaticism flashing in his voice, "The organization has been researching this."

After a moment, Song Mingzhang spoke: "First, you must immediately investigate all your connections with Zhao Hongtu, sever all ties completely, and leave no incriminating evidence. Zhao Hongtu knows too much. His death is troublesome, but if we use what he knows to implicate us, it will be a disaster."

"Second, utilize external networks to gather intelligence, focusing on investigating those who have recently had conflicts with Zhao Hongtu and whose behavior patterns have shown abnormal changes. Third, try to obtain more details from the scene to confirm whether there are any traces of 'abilities'."

"clear."

"Furthermore," Song Mingzhang paused, "if it truly is unusual, this is both an opportunity and a danger. Find them, but don't act rashly. I need to know who they are, what their abilities are, and whether they can... be used by us."

"To be used by us?" Han Dongcheng felt a chill run down his spine.

"The organization needs fresh blood," Song Mingzhang said calmly, "especially this kind of destructive blood. The organization is very interested in this, and if new samples appear in Guangyang City, they will be of great value."

Before ending the call, Song Mingzhang added, "Don't let me down, Dongcheng."

The phone call ended, and the busy tone echoed in the empty room.

Han Dongcheng walked to the window and looked at the night outside.

The landscape lights in the manor illuminated the garden as if it were daytime, and the neatly trimmed shrubs cast dappled shadows in the night breeze.

He sensed an impending storm and that he was in danger.

Zhao Hongtu's death seems to be just the beginning; the unseen hand behind the scenes seems to be slowly opening.

……

The next morning, at Jingyuan Villa.

Han Dongcheng sat in front of the panoramic monitoring screen, holding a cup of tea that had long since gone cold.

His intelligence and resource network, which he had built over many years, was now fully activated.

The first intelligence came from Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng handed over the photos and preliminary analysis that had been circulating within the on-site investigation team but were not included in the official report to Han Dongcheng.

On the screen, high-definition photos flashed by one after another.

The stun gun, melted by the high temperature, had wavy, molten metal edges.

The scorch marks on the ground, resembling those formed by high-voltage discharge, exhibit a clear directionality.

And the tree-like electrical discharge marks on the body surface of the unconscious person.

"The preliminary forensic report suggests a lightning strike, but there were no conditions for a lightning strike indoors," Han Dongcheng muttered to himself.

The second source of intelligence came from an independent technical advisor.

This person is a physicist whom Han Dongcheng funded many years ago, and he is good at analyzing accidents from unconventional perspectives.

Han Dongcheng sent the information to the other party, requesting an "unofficial" assessment.

A few hours later, the consultant called back: "Mr. Han, based on the scorch marks and the melting point of the metal, this is not a simple short circuit or equipment malfunction. It's more like a 'directional energy release,' and the energy source is mobile. The conclusion... is related to electricity."

"It's related to electricity," Han Dongcheng repeated, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.

The third source of intelligence came from external informants.

Han Dongcheng dispatched several groups of his men to infiltrate communities around Longteng Power and the convention center, and even some freight and maintenance industry circles, under different identities.

The task is to collect all rumors and unusual activities about "Zhao Hongtu's enemies," especially any talk of "revenge" or "retribution."

Intelligence from all sources converged back at the manor within twelve hours.

After screening, three people who had deep grudges against Zhao Hongtu came to light.